According to the new regulation, any mobile phone providers will be required to equip a standard battery charger with their products. European parliament aims to improve usability of smartphones through avoiding the chaos of many connecters.

In Japan, each feature phone has its own connecter. NTTdocomo, KDDI, and Softbank developed their chargers different from each other, the other day. Moving data from one to another was so difficult. There are some octopus-like converters developed by some companies.

Nowadays, however, almost all smartphones are adopting micro USB connecter. The only exception is Apple iPhone.

Therefore, I am doubtful that this legislation will be effective.

To begin, it will be in 2017 that all products is united. It is too late. Furthermore, nobody knows which kind of connecter will be dominant in the future. The micro USB is planned to be replaced with Type-C in 2014, but it will need a couple of years to spread the new shape. In 2017, someone would have been developed a new connecter which is more efficacious.

After all, this regulation will be against Apple only. Apple has been developed several unique standards such as firewire and lightning. Although they have not been beneficial, forced integration will be worse.